


An Ill Wind

by LaLloyd271



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Deception, Evil Laughter, Gen, Lloyd Garmadon Angst, Lloyd Garmadon Needs Therapy, Lloyd Garmadon Needs a Hug, Loneliness, Manipulation, Mentor/Protégé, Psychopathology & Sociopathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29011128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaLloyd271/pseuds/LaLloyd271
Summary: Tournament of Elements rewrite. The ninja learn that Zane is still alive, and they quickly leave for Chen's Island to find him. But all of their hopes and aspirations come crashing down when Lloyd gets himself disqualified from the competition, leaving the team leaderless and despondent. It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good, as a cunning rival seeks to exploit the situation.Basically, what would have happened if Morro had showed up one season earlier?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	1. Replaced

**Author's Note:**

> *I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.

The loss of Zane had torn the team apart. Grief takes many forms, and it manifests in everyone differently. Some people take their frustration out on others, lashing out against petty opponents as they desperately look for a fight where there is none. People may adopt a flashy and flamboyant appearance, acting eccentric and erratic in order to hide their true feelings. Other people distance themselves from their loss, trying to eliminate any possible reminders of what they once had. There are countless other ways to deal with one's grief, but that was how the Masters of Fire, Lightning, and Earth tried to limit their pain. Every ninja chose a tactic of distraction; they all tried to avoid and repress their feelings instead of actually dealing with them. Well, all of them except for one, that is.

Lloyd was the only one who was able to move on. His role on the team had always been in flux, but it now seemed that he was in the prime position to lead. He was the Green Ninja, the Master of Energy, and more powerful than all the others combined. Lloyd embodied an Elemental Essence, one of the few powers directly leftover from the First Spinjitzu Master himself. When he had first joined the ninja, Lloyd had been a scared little boy. He had been a bratty villain, lashing out with malice in hopes of attracting the attention of his father. But under the careful tutelage of the ninja, and due in part to the accidental use of Tomorrow's Tea, Lloyd had grown into a determined young man.

And he had been previously poised to lead after unlocking his True Potential, but the Nindroid Conflict threw a wrench in those plans. Due to the Overlord's resurgence and the tremendous target his Golden Power made him, he had been forcefully sidelined for most of the battles. The Golden Power was too important, a dangerous force Lloyd had needed to protect with his life, but he had lost. Most of his power was taken from him, and he given the last little bit of it to the ninja so they could once again access their elemental powers. And although Lloyd had led them as they stowed away on the Project Arcturus rocket, it was Zane who had stopped the Overlord. His sacrifice may have saved Ninjago, but it was now destroying their team.

Lloyd had managed to convince everyone to meet with him. It had taken all of his cunning and trickery, but he had been ultimately successful in bringing them all under one roof. As he looked over the group, he saw division and hostility. To his left, he saw Jay resentfully glaring at Cole. He wasn't returning the look, instead gazing longingly at the line of food that was passing by their table. That was a good sign, but Lloyd could tell there was a lot of bad blood between the pair, which was definitely going to make this much more difficult. Looking across the table, he saw a solemnly bored Kai, as if this was the last place he wanted to be. Lloyd quietly sighed; he was disappointed by how poorly his friends were dealing with their grief.

"I know that without Zane things have been… different, but we have to move on." he said, wincing slightly as he saw their dismayed reactions. "The reason I brought you all here was, well, maybe we should think about adding someone new to the team." Lloyd knew that no one could ever replace Zane, but he also understood that the fate of Ninjago seemed to always depend on them. Without their team, the realm would be basically unprotected from criminals and evil forces. _It's not like the police have ever done jack shit for this city._ he thought. But none of his contemporaries saw it that way.

"A new Ninja?" Kai said incredulously, practically scoffing at the concept. He didn't look angry about the idea, which Lloyd thought was somewhat encouraging, but at best, he was indifferent to the proposal.

"Are you crazy?!" Jay screamed, his voice shrill and hoarse. _Yeah, that's on brand._ he thought.

"Come on, Zane's irreplaceable!" Cole cried. _Alright, that went about as well as I could have hoped for._ Lloyd sarcastically thought. He had expected a pretty lukewarm reception, but not this much derision and scorn. "I cared for him just as much as any of you did, but now it's time to care about this team!" Lloyd declared, his temper rising with annoyance. _How can they possibly be this selfish?_

"Maybe without Zane there is no team!" Kai fired back, before crossing his arms and staring at the ground in contempt. Lloyd looked at his friend with confusion; he found himself somewhat flustered by Kai's recent mood. There was something was off about it, he just wasn't acting like himself. The fire and impatience was still there, but it was marred by a bitter and bleak temperament. He had become quieter, significantly more reserved with his comments, and it was concerning to Lloyd. _Well, it's not that he's less talktive per say. Just far more deliberate and calculated with his comments._ His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as a trio of thugs loudly barged into the restaurant. They were dressed lavishly, sporting expensive leather jackets and sunglasses. The clothing was cut and open in order to show off their purple tattoos. The serpents were intricate and precise, the unsettling designs were displayed with meticulous detail.

Jay gulped, his trademark sense of fear replacing the malice and hatred he felt towards Cole. "Oh. Don't look now, but we've got trouble." he whispered loudly. Lloyd wasn't sure whether he should be annoyed or thankful for their arrival, but at the very least it might force the other ninja to see his point about how important they were to Ninjago's safety. While the ninja had to deal with huge, world-ending level threats on a pretty regular basis, they still had a duty to stop even the lowliest of criminals.

The one sporting a mohawk, evidently the leader of the group, took off his sunglasses to reveal a sterling silver eye. "Jeez…" Lloyd said under his breath. _Whoever these smug bastards are, they've got a strong backing_. He quickly looked over to see that they had begun harassing the poor cashier. The main guy suddenly leapt over the counter, grabbing the old man and slamming him into the sushi line. "All right, now they're our problem." Cole firmly stated, honing his frustration through his love of food. "Excuse me, it's not polite to touch someone else's food!" he yelled, holding his chopsticks tightly as his hands shook with anger.

"I'd listen if I were you." Kai quipped, a smile slightly peeking through the veil of frustration. "He's no fun to be around when he's hangry." Lloyd beamed as he glanced at his friends, now completely sure that the crooks showing up had been a blessing in disguise. Each ninja was determined and focused on the task at hand. He saw no sense of grief in the eye, no bitter resentment over a lost love. All those complicated emotions just fell away, because they needed to work together. _I guess I'll need someone to launch a large-scale campaign to take over Ninjago to really sweeten the pot._ he mused. Lloyd was overjoyed by the sudden development; he could make his pitch so much more effectively now, considering that the importance their team held to the well-being of the realm was being actively reinforced.

The thugs yelled loudly, and silver eye punched out towards Cole. He laughed slightly, easily stopping the attack with his chopsticks. This infuriated his attacker, but he continued parrying every strike with only the eating utensils. His foe gave up quickly, backing away in defeat. Meanwhile, Kai had jumped onto the food conveyor to get towards the other thugs. The other guy got a bright idea, moving to crank up the conveyor speed to throw off the ninja's balance.. The tactic backfired however, as Kai just began kicking the incoming food towards his opponents. "All right, I admit it." he yelled over the din, trying to target the comment in Cole's general direction. "We make a good team." Lloyd felt strangely indebted to the lawless strangers. The ninja had only needed that tiny spark of danger in order to move past their differences, and he knew how best to get through to them now.

Cole ran over to the conveyor, using their fight as an excuse to take some of the food being flung through the store. He snatched up the items with his chopsticks, successfully multitasking between poking the thug and plucking food out of the air. "Oh yeah, mmm." he mumbled while chewing on a dumpling. "Everything's better on a full stomach." Cole stole a bit of rice, a few noodles, a tail of shrimp; he was thoroughly enjoying their petty confrontation. His happiness was forever tarnished as his opponent smashed one of the plates flying past them. "Hey! I was gonna eat that!" The chains were off now, this was personal. Cole grabbed the man by his jacket collar and tossed him across the room. He landed on the food, instantly hit by a barrage of noodles. Kai managed to knock down the other two thugs, and the trio of crooks met a cruel fate of being slowly pushed around the restaurant in defeat.

"How can you walk away from this?" Lloyd asked, pouncing on the opportunity to push his plan once more. They all rolled their eyes at the comment, but he could tell that the message had gotten through to his friends. But as he looked up from the sigh of relief, Lloyd noticed one of the thugs smirking at him as they made a quick exit. _What an asshole._ he thought.

"Hey, let's get them guys!" said Cole. No one objected, and the team ran across the store. Bursting through the back door, they found that the alley was noticeably empty. "Where did they go?" Kai asked, furious that the thieves had been able to escape. His anger turned to confusion when he spotted what looked to be a shrine to Zane. "Huh?"

"What's this?" Lloyd wondered aloud, perplexed by the memorial. There was a set of candles marking the opposite sides of the table , as well as a tray of fortune cookies in the center. A sketch of Zane was fixed to the wall by a knife, and he spotted a bit of writing on the side of the paper. "It's Zane!" Kai gasped. _Yeah of course it's Zane._ he thought. "What does it say?" asked Cole. Lloyd pushed the ninja out of the way and walked over to the shrine. Pulling the drawing off the wall, he began looking over the text. Lloyd's eyes widened as he read the startling message. _He's alive? No, it has to be a trick, that's clearly impossible._

Lloyd was caught in a dilemma. If he told them the truth, then none of them would be able to move on from Zane's death. And if it indeed turned out to be a lie, then all of his careful planning would be nullified. But this was a surefire way to get them on board and back together, and there was a chance, albeit small, that it could be true. "It says he's alive." Lloyd said after a long pause, his voice stiff and tense with concern. His friends jumped back in surprise, gasping loudly at the shocking revelation. "I don't think those thugs were delivering a message to the noodle house." Kai began. _Well yeah, they weren't really saying anything._ Lloyd mused. _How could they have been delivering a message by trying to rob the place?_ "I think they were delivering a message to us." he finished, his voice full of childlike wonder and awe.

"What do you mean it says he's alive?" Jay questioned, not able to comprehend the very simple message. "Don't ask me, I'm just telling you what it says." Lloyd retorted, his tone a bit more scathing and snappy than he intended. _Ooh, I didn't mean for it to come off like that, but seriously Jay? It's pretty obvious what it's supposed to mean._ "Why would those thugs lead us here?" Kai asked, but any answer was cut off as Cole jumped into the conversation. He was taking the news rationally, which meant they were about to get a heavy dose of skepticism.

"You know," he started, his voice annoyed and bothered, "this has to be some sort of cruel joke. And I'm not laughing." His arms were crossed in resignation, glaring with malice at the odd monument. Lloyd had to agree with him, but as he looked back at the table he noticed the cookies more clearly. "Look!" he called, pointing at the tray. "I think these were meant for us too."

"Fortune cookies? Very peculiar." Jay picked up one and peered at it intensely, as if he expected to find some sort of defect or blemish. Seeing nothing obviously concerning, he broke open the cracker to reveal the fortune inside. "Should we?" Lloyd offered, before grabbing one. Kai quickly snatched up the next, which also happened to be the final one.

"Hey, why are there only three?" Cole whined, annoyed that he would miss out on the snack. Lloyd had been wondering the same thing himself, but was unsure of what the absence could possibly hint to. "They probably just forgot one in the rush." Kai answered, and the theory seemed to make sense. _There's nothing to be worried about, so why am I still nervous?_ he asked himself. He shook the creeping doubt from his mind and turned his attention to the fortune.

"Listen to this." he said, motioning towards the message on the paper. "Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his Tournament of Elements."

"Wait a minute." Cole interrupted. "Are you saying that Mr. Chen, the same guy filling my belly with delicious goodness, is actually Master Chen?" Lloyd refrained from delivering his harsh response, choosing instead to ignore the query. _Yeah, that's pretty obvious Cole. Why do you guys have ask so many dumb questions all the time?_

"Secrecy is of the utmost importance." Kay began."Tell no one, or suffer the consequences."

"If you ever want to see your friend again, meet on the pier at midnight and leave your weapons behind." Jay said concernedly. Then the papers suddenly exploded, leaving no evidence of their existence. Cole was still very much annoyed that he had missed out on the snacks, but now he looked more scared than angry. There was something fishy about this whole situation, but he couldn't put his finger on it. _Why would these thugs go through all this trouble just to tell us that Zane is alive? They didn't make any demands, no ransom note, nothing! What is that they want with us?_

"You don't think…" Lloyd started, still unsure if he should believe the threats and effective ransom note.

"It could be a trick. A lie to lure us in." Kai answered, guessing correctly what Lloyd was going to ask. _I_ _mean_ e _ither way they're luring us in, but whether or not it's true is the important part._ He didn't trust the guys who had left the messages, and he didn't trust this Master Chen either. They were criminals after all, and even if the low-level thugs of the operation weren't anything to write home about, whoever was calling the shots was certainly cunning.

"Yeah, but what if it's not?" Jay argued, playing devil's advocate in the debate. "What if Zane's alive?" The other ninja didn't press the issue, there was no logical defense they could make. As skeptical as they all were, none of them would pass up on the opportunity to have their friend back. "The Tournament of Elements." Lloyd muttered, still perplexed by the title. For all he knew, they were the only people with Elemental Powers. _And having the four ninja fight each other wouldn't be much of a tournament, so how is this going to work?_ Something was clearly being hidden from them.

"I'm starting to think this Master Chen makes more than noodles." he said quietly, incredibly suspicious of the crime boss they were apparently beholden to. "You can forget bringing in a new Ninja Lloyd." Kai said, his voice determined and confident. ""Let's go see about an old one." He nodded along in response, but the statement frightened him. _If this turns out to be a trick or lie, then we'll be back at square one. All my work to bring the team back together will have been for nothing._

* * *

The ninja slowly walked up the wooden pier, treading lightly under the starry sky. They had all chosen to wear ninja attire, but all of them had chosen a different outfit. Kai had worn his original training suit, the plain red robe with a simple rope as a belt; fastened by his elemental symbol. Cole had chosen his Dragon eXtreme Gi, the variant he had been awarded upon overcoming his fear and taming Rocky. Jay had picked out his Zen eXtreme Armor, a more enhanced suit with better protection. He had always liked the silver and chrome highlights, thought it gave the look a bit more personality. And Lloyd had gone with his Techno Gi, although he had decided to remove the Stone Armor in order to preserve the aesthetic design of the suit.

As the team passed by, they became increasingly wary of the other people on the pier. The ninja were getting some funny looks, and it wasn't just because they stood out in the crowd. Sure, most of the other attendees were wearing far more casual and laid-back attire, but what stuck out most about the ninja was just how divided they looked. While they may have been united under a common goal, motivated by their desire to see Zane again, they were not a team. The other ninja hadn't taken to Lloyd's more commanding role as leader very well so far, and with all their bent up emotions, he was finding it quite difficult to keep them on a straight path.

Lloyd was stirred from his thoughts as a large paddle steamer suddenly docked at the pier. A pair of grunts quickly leapt up, throwing down a wooden plank in order to allow people to board. _No, not to let us board._ Lloyd corrected. For a rather smug and greasy looking man had just sauntered off of the ship, blocking the path of the crowd. He quickly moved past to let the guests on board, but only after they organized themselves into a single file line. _Probably wants to search us._ he thought, and although it annoyed him, it wasn't a particularly unreasonable request.

"Watch your step madame." the man said, addressing a cloaked figure at the front of the queue. The woman in yellow suddenly looked back, staring longingly towards one of the ninja. An admiring smile quickly formed on Kai's, and he sighed softly; overcome completely with infatuation. Seeing the dopey grin on his friend's face, Lloyd rolled his eyes. _Hoo, boy_ …

"We can't let anything distract us." he said through gritted teeth. _What the hell is he doing? We're here to find Zane, and nothing else!_ Lloyd saw that his warning had done little effect, so he reiterated his point. "You hear me Kai?"

"Huh?" Kai was still staring at the beautiful woman in the distance, but tried his best to acknowledge Lloyd's presence. Of course he had no idea what his friend had said, but Kai hoped that he would be convincing enough. "Uh, yeah. Uh, got it. Whatever you said." he muttered, his voice absent-minded and blank. Lloyd glared at him, easily seeing through the terrible fib, but he decided not to push the issue any further. _You all were the ones who wanted to be here in the first place!_ he internally moaned. _If any of you lose sight of what we're really here for, it's not my problem._ Lloyd's spiteful thoughts would come back to haunt him soon enough.

By now the other guests had boarded, and Jay approached the bouncer with hesitance. _What a creep._ he thought, thoroughly disturbed by his appearance and mannerisms. "Master Chen will be charmed to see you've accepted his offer." the man said, putting Jay on edge. He spoke in a low drawl, a conceited and almost bored voice. It had an odd paradoxical effect, sounding both condescending and disinterested at the same time. "A Master of Spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his Tournament."

"Hey, we're not here to fight." Jay spat, glaring at the obnoxious douche in charge of the event. "We're here to save a friend." The man smirked in response, and responded in a rather patronizing yet aloof tone. "Don't be so petty, Master Jay." he said, reaching down to grab a pair of nunchucks the blue ninja had hidden in his bag. He shook the weapon in Jay's face, as if subconsciously using them to try and further prove his point. "Everyone here has something to fight for."

"Chopsticks." Jay said quickly. "I'm a big eater." He gulped as the man threw his weapon into the sea, and practically scampered aboard the ship. "Jackass." he muttered under his breath. Kai and Cole quickly followed suit, but the man stepped in front of Lloyd, blocking his path.

"Hey! Let me on the ship!" he whined. The others stopped and looked back, confused why their leader was being held up. "Oh, Lloyd Garmadon. Master of Power, correct?"

"Technically it's Energy, but close enough." he answered begrudgingly. "Now can I board the ship please?"

"No, I don't think you can. I'm sorry to say, but you weren't invited." he said, smiling deviously at the frustrated ninja. "I'm sorry?" Lloyd said, assuming that the guy was just messing with him.

"If you recall, you should have been delivered three fortune cookies. That is because only those three have been invited." he answered tactfully, pointing towards the other ninja. "The Masters of Fire, Lightning, and Earth have all been invited to compete in the Tournament of Elements, but you have not."

"What? That's not fair!" Lloyd whined. _It doesn't make any sense, why can't I participate?_ He always hated the idea of being sidelined, but it was even more agonizing considering how important their mission was. It was about Zane, and Lloyd didn't trust that the other three ninja would be able find their nindroid friend without him. Especially since Kai appeared to be preoccupied with a certain female.

"Oh, I think you'll find that it's completely fair." he responded. "You do not actually possess an Elemental Power, but an Elemental Essence. There is a distinct difference between the two, and as such, you are not allowed to compete in the Tournament of Elements. Additionally Master Chen requested a 16 person bracket, and you would make that 17. You see, that wouldn't be fair to the other fighters, now would it?."

Lloyd stared blankly at the man, shocked by what he had just been told. _I have to admit, his argument isn't complete bullshit, but it still reeks of tampering and favoritism. I mean, it's not my fault that I was given a more powerful Element! Oh no sorry, I meant Elemental Essence…_

He looked over to see his friends were just as worried and frustrated as he was. They were confused, unsure of what to do, but Lloyd could only shrug in resignation. "What do you say we teach that slimy bastard a lesson?" Kai suggested, a vengeful fire burning in his eyes. Jay returned his fury with a snide grin, and they both began walking towards the man in charge. Cole shook his head, chuckling slightly at their foolishness. _Right, because it's such a great idea to attack the people that claim to be holding Zane. How the hell could that possibly go wrong?_

Cole's would never know how the fight would have gone however, because they were interrupted by a loud cackling. The pair of ninja whipped around suddenly to see a figure writhing on the floor; clutching his side as he tried to control the fit of laughter. "What's so funny?" Kai asked, calling over to the man. The sound abruptly stopped, and the man quickly picked himself off the ground. He grinned wickedly at the duo, his uncanny appearance causing them to nearly jump backwards in surprise. His jet black hair had a bright green stripe through it, a distinctly lighter color than that of his outfit. The stranger was wearing a green ninja gi, one nearly identical in design to Kai's. It bore a striking resemblance to the Green Ninja suit, but it was darker, a far more ominous shade than Lloyd's. The ropes were a dull gold, held together by a faded grey symbol. And it was that symbol that scared Kai the most, for it was the dragon of Energy. "Who are you?" Kai asked, finding himself simultaneously mortified and confused by the man.

He said nothing in response, simply staring jovially at the red ninja before erupting into another uncontrollable fit of laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So about 5 months ago I just randomly decided to draw Morro with Tournament garb, for no other reason besides simple art practice. And then a few weeks later I started writing the concept into a story, which I am finally choosing to cross-post from fanfiction.net. Granted I've kinda put this fanfic on indefinite hold, but the first five chapters are done and I think that it's still worth sharing what I've got so far.


	2. Opportunity

"Let's ship out!"

Morro shot up, glancing over towards the wooden pier they were leaving behind. Lloyd was staring at his friends, his eyes watering with sadness and worry. It was such a strange sight, to see the confident and determined boy look so utterly defeated. _I mean, I haven't even done anything yet!_ he mused, surprised by just how emotionally weak his rival appeared to be. Morro chuckled quietly to himself; it was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

Kai's patience was quickly running thin. _Not only did we just have to leave Lloyd behind, but now we're stuck with a deranged wannabe instead!_ They were going to be completely lost; the ninja would most likely fall back into a state of division and conflict without Lloyd to help guide them. But for now the ninja were still united, all equally at odds with the smug bouncer and the court jester. Kai felt his emotions suddenly focus themselves, as if all of his complex worries and doubts were washed away by a wave of outrage. "What's so goddamn funny?" he asked through gritted teeth, practically seething at the man.

Morro turned his attention back to the fiery hothead, and had to stifle yet another fit of laughter. Not only had he inadvertently managed to disqualify Lloyd from the Tournament, but the ninja clearly didn't know who he was or what Elemental powers he possessed. Wu had evidently told them absolutely nothing and his new pupils had no idea the trouble they had gotten themselves into.

"You wouldn't get it." he murmured quietly, calmly responding with a flat and indifferent tone. The red ninja reacted instantly, immeasurably furious with Morro's rather flippant attitude. Kai charged up his fire and shot it at the man, aiming directly for the faded dragon symbol on his gi. _Oh, I think that's my cue to leave._ Morro conjured a gust of wind and used it to propel himself up to the second deck of the ship, leaving the trio of ninja shocked and bewildered in his wake. He fell clumsily to the floor, landing slightly awkwardly on his left leg. Looking down he saw that his gi had been slightly singed, leaving a few nasty burn marks running down his knee and ankle. "Ah shit." he said, targeting another gust of wind to quell the flame. There wasn't any discernible pain in the leg, but he still found it all rather annoying. "Don't tell me I'll need to get this suit cleaned already."

Morro had little time to worry about it however, for his thoughts were suddenly startled by a soft yell in the distance. After running over to the railing he could make out a distant figure falling towards the murky water. Lloyd had tried using his Energy Propulsion to fly over towards the departing ship, but he had come up far short of the mark. Morro was very tempted to let him fall and potentially drown, but quickly thought better of the idea. "Now where would be the fun in that?" he asked quietly, his mind buzzing with ideas. "The possibilities truly are endless, but I think I would prefer to have my revenge personally."

Morro sent out a heavy gust of wind to help carry the foolish ninja up to the ship. It was quite possibly the most strenuous task he had ever attempted; Lloyd was so far away that the Master of Wind needed to sustain his Elemental Power for almost 30 seconds, but he managed to get the boy up to the second deck just before collapsing from exhaustion. Lloyd looked around at his surroundings, dazed and mystified by his unusual survival, before he noticed the figure that laid doubled over before him.

"You… you just saved my life." Lloyd remarked shakily, finding himself unsure of what to think. _How exactly did he do that?_ he wondered, confused by what exactly it was that had saved him. _And more importantly, why?_ Morro managed to quickly pull himself together, although he was somewhat worried by how tiring the simple action had been. "Don't mention it." he muttered.

Shaking the fear and concern from his mind, Morro stood up fully and for the first time, really looked at the person that Wu had chosen over him. The boy was a spitting image of his father, so much so that he felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. The hair was a striking shade of blonde instead of reddish-brown, but other than that, Lloyd looked practically identical to a younger Garmadon. _The resemblance is uncanny._ Morro thought, a slight shiver running down his spine as several painful memories began to resurface. He shook them from his mind, keeping his focus on the person in front of him. _This is Lloyd,_ _not his conniving bastard of a father._

Upon closer inspection, there were quite a few subtle differences here and there, those little things that gave Lloyd his own distinct appearance. There was certainly no sense of evil to the boy; on the surface, he really did seem like the truly noble and virtuous sort of person that destiny would have chosen to wear the green gi. However, in reality it wasn't quite that simple. There was a darker side to Lloyd, one far more complicated and obscured than his father's had ever been. He always looked somewhat tired and worn, indicating that the boy had been through a lot more than his youthful appearance would lead you to believe. It was in the eyes where Morro saw it, a tremendous amount of utter pain and agony that lay dormant and repressed. If that anger could only be awakened, then perhaps it would be able to reveal a different personality for the ninja. That was an extremely intriguing prospect for Morro, and he felt the slightest bit of respect for the boy.

He had been expecting to meet some sort of perfect, flawless figurehead; Lloyd had been chosen to be the Green Ninja after all. But it wasn't that clear cut, and admittedly he had been rather foolish to think that it would be. As much as the stinging ejection still pained him, Morro had to concede that Lloyd was a far more interested person than he would have expected. In a way, he almost saw a bit of himself in the kid, as if Lloyd simply represented a purer version of the Master of Wind. _Let's see if I can maybe change that a bit._ Morro thought, wondering if he might be able to somehow corrupt the Master of Energy. _Probably not going to be easy._

"Um… why are you wearing my suit?" Lloyd asked worriedly, slightly taken aback by the man's appearance. The outfit was not unlike the training gi Kai had worn, but it bore the Elemental Symbol of Energy. In a way, the suit was almost a glimpse at what he might have worn if his training had begun earlier, if he had learned alongside the original four. But it went further than that, for Morro was truly a reflection of Lloyd's darkest nature. Lloyd couldn't see it of course, he was far too trusting and kind. While Morro's appearance was certainly off putting to him, Lloyd could not ignore the fact that he owed the man his life. _A_ s strange as it was to see someone else wearing the green gi, Lloyd had no reason to fear him. His kind nature forced him to ignore the truth, blindly reject the greatest piece of advice he had ever been given. _Where there is light, there will always be shadow._

And Lloyd's shadow had finally caught up with him.

Morro smiled deviously at the query; this was the perfect chance to try and manipulate the boy. If he could successfully twist the story against his former master, then perhaps Lloyd might be inclined to willingly work with him. Turning Wu's star pupil against him would be the one of the cruelest acts of revenge he could possibly choose. _What was it that Wu had said?_ _The greatest way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend._

"You and your team of ninja weren't Wu's first pupils." Morro answered softly, a touch of sadness in his voice. "What?" Lloyd stuttered, his eyes widening with surprise. "Sensei never said anything about having other students…"

"Well Lloyd, long before you took up the mantle, your beloved Sensei said that I would be the one to wear green!" he snapped scathingly, lashing out at the boy in a sudden fit of anger. He was knocked backwards by the gust, slamming into the railing of the ship before painfully falling to the floor. Quite literally, Lloyd had had his wind knocked out of him by the wind.

He slowly looked up from the ground, finding himself in utter terror of the horrifically bitter and resentful person that was glaring back at him. "Who are you?" Lloyd asked shakily. Morro quickly steadied his breathing, scolding himself for losing control. _Get a hold of yourself goddamn it!_ He sighed, looking down slightly in shame. "Morro." he quietly answered, his voice slightly nervous and tense. "The Master of Wind."

_Wind? Is that what he used to get me up to the ship?_ Lloyd didn't know what to say; he was overwhelmed and felt slightly lightheaded due to the wealth of new information. _How many other Elements has Sensei kept hidden from us?_ _And for what reason? Why would he possibly not warn us about this former pupil of his, who he thought would be the Green Ninja? Especially since Morro seems to be somewhat mentally unstable, or at the very least extremely irritable._

Morro saw the confusion and worry on Lloyd's face, and couldn't help but smile slightly. The ninja were all completely clueless about their Elemental Powers, and he could very easily exploit the situation to create distrust in the boy's mind. "Yes Lloyd, I control the wind." Morro stated bluntly, answering the silent question by propelling himself off the ground. He levitated for a few moments, letting him garner an appreciation for the power before gracefully landing back on the wooden floor.

"When did you know Sensei?" Lloyd asked tensely. Morro's sudden appearance was throwing everything he thought he knew about his uncle into serious doubt, and Lloyd just couldn't understand why he had been lied to for all these years. _Was it purely out of fear that his actions would not be taken lightly? Embarrassment perhaps? And it's not just Wu to blame here, my father hasn't told me any of this either!_

Morro looked down towards the floor as a wave of distant and repressed memories came flooding back to him. "I've been an orphan my entire life." he began softly, although his voice was still very firm and measured. "I grew up in extreme poverty, completely alone and without a roof over my head, but your uncle took me in one day." Morro smiled weakly at the concept, that at one point in time his Sensei had been nothing but kind to him.

"Wu trained me, taught me everything he knew about how to be a ninja." Morro continued, his face uneasy but growing with frustration. "I was his star student, always completing every task perfectly and without question. In return, he promised that I would be the one to wear green." he stated somberly, still incredibly envious of Lloyd's title. Lloyd felt kind of sorry for the man, but he could not fathom how this one simple title had meant so much to him.

"It's not the color of your gi that's important, but the color of your heart." he responded succinctly, unfazed by Morro's carefully crafted tale of woe. "I may have been the one considered worthy of the title, but at the end of the day, it is just a stupid title." Lloyd smiled awkwardly at the Master of Wind, trying his hardest to not sound condescending or pompous. Unfortunately, the attempt at humility only infuriated Morro further; he was enraged by how nonchalantly Lloyd treated the situation. _That stupid title belongs to me and it always has!_

_It means everything to me…_

In a tremendous and uncharacteristic display of self control, Morro managed to refrain from attacking Lloyd. It was quite difficult due to his immense impatience, but he was trying to play the long game. As much as he wanted to gut Lloyd where he stood, setting up a false friendship, a facade of warmth and kindness, would ultimately make his revenge that much more potent. Physical pain was nothing when compared to just how demoralizing and soul-crushing mental abuse could be.

"While that may be the case, you have to understand just how excited I was to learn that I could be the Chosen One, Ninjago's prophesied green savior. I was going to finally rise above all of the pain and suffering, he made me believe!" Morro spat, his voice fueled by the vengeful animosity he felt towards his former teacher. "But destiny said otherwise, and thus I've spent the last 40 years or so wandering this desolate world; a homeless vagabond in search of greater meaning." The personal account was mostly accurate, although it certainly glossed over a number of his more morally questionable actions. Morro had technically been in search of greater meaning, but obsessively searching for the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master out of spite was not something many would consider to be a particularly noble task.

There was once again a lot of information for Lloyd to unpack there, but instead of trying to fully comprehend the ramifications of the story, his mind latched onto a single detail. _The last 40 years?_ he questioned, finding it extremely difficult to believe that Morro had been alive that long. _He looks like he's 20, maybe even a few years younger than that._ "Why do you look so… young?" Lloyd asked bluntly, drawing a chuckle from his jaded counterpart.

"Simple. Elemental Masters age a lot slower than normal humans." Lloyd, who had never seen that sort of difference personally, didn't believe him. _Both my father and uncle have aged significantly, I mean neither of them are quite as young as they were in that old photo Wu keeps around._ Sensing the creeping doubt in the boy's face, Morro quickly added, "You don't really get to see it that often because most of the Elemental Masters would have already had children by the time they get to my age, which in turn leaves them powerless."

"Oh, yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense." Lloyd admitted. _I guess my family probably just works a bit differently because we have those weird Elemental Essences._ The concept was still confusing to him, and he made a mental note to ask about it later. But right now Lloyd was more concerned with this Master of Wind. There was so much left unanswered, but his mind continued focusing on the strangest and most insignificant parts. "How old are you?" he asked curiously.

"I'm not sure." Morro honestly answered. "I think I'm in my late forties or early fifties, but it's pretty much impossible to know since I have no idea when I was actually born." Everything so far was playing perfectly into his hand; not only could he perfectly play the role of a mentor for the boy, but he would probably connect with him a lot better than anyone else could because he still seemed like he was around the same age as Lloyd. Morro was by far the oldest Elemental Master competing, but you would never have guessed it because he was still as immature as a 15 year old, and looked about that age.

Wu had failed his new pupils, left them ignorant to every secondary element that existed in Ninjago, and this was the crux of how Morro was going to turn the beloved Green Ninja. It wasn't so simple as their Sensei had told them, that it was just the four primary elements and five essences. A plethora of other elements existed, and not all of their masters were competing here. There could be no denying it, Lloyd had been lied to his entire life. And fortunately enough, Wu wasn't here to tell his side of the story. No, instead he was stuck with Morro, who just so happened to be a rather unreliable narrator.

Lloyd was lost in his thoughts, still trying desperately to wrap his head around everything he had been told. _Okay, so that smug jackass said it was a 16 person bracket right?_ he proposed, attempting to work his way through the news rationally. _Discounting the other three ninja, that means there are another 13 elements. That's 13 Elemental Masters that we never knew about, and how many others could still be out there? On top of that, now this guy shows up, some former student that my uncle conveniently forgot to mention? Just how much has Sensei kept hidden from us?_

"Do you know anything about the other Elemental Masters who are competing here?" Lloyd asked, his voice anxious and tense. A sly grin crept its way up Morro's face, and he practically beamed with pride. Lloyd was exactly where he wanted him, ready to be groomed into an extraordinarily distrustful and bitter person. "Yes, in fact I do Lloyd." His face lit up with excitement, happy to hear that someone might be willing to tell him the truth. Morro marveled at his handiwork, considerably impressed by his opportunistic cunning. Granted, the situation had been far better than he would have ever anticipated, but it would have been a waste if not for his acting talent.

_They say Lord Garmadon wanted to remake Ninjago in his own image? Yeah well, he's not here to stop me from remaking his son in my image!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with this story I wanted to try something a bit different with how I structured Morro and Lloyd's relationship, as, although he looks exactly the same, Morro is actually grown up now. Most of the time I see people write them as coevals and I don't know, I guess I just thought it would be fun to make him act more like a teacher for Lloyd. Naturally he doesn't really act his age but it obviously has an impact on how much he knows about the world and what have you.


	3. Expository

"Before I discuss the secondary elements of Ninjago, do you actually know how you and your little band of ninja got your powers in the first place?" Morro asked politely, trying his absolute hardest to hold in all of the condescension and lack of respect he felt towards the blond pretty boy.

"Uh, not really." Lloyd admitted. _Yeah, now that I think about it, Sensei hasn't told us jack shit about our powers._ Lloyd knew that he had previously possessed the Golden Power, which was apparently used by the First Spinjitzu Master, but he didn't actually know how or why he was able to unlock it. In fact, Lloyd had no idea why he was the Master of Energy either, only that it probably had something to do with his lineage. Morro's eyebrows raised, surprised by the boy's answer. _This just keeps getting better and better!_

"I see." Morro said quietly, not letting his immense excitement show. "In that case, let me begin with your grandfather. Your element is left over from him directly, gifted to you through your notable ancestry. The Elemental Essences, which include your Energy, the Creation your uncle refuses to ever use, and formerly your father's Destruction, are all powers that he left to you. That also includes the Golden Power you so carelessly lost." Morro quipped, a sly grin crossing his face.

He saw Lloyd's eye flare with anger, but quickly continued before the boy had a chance to respond. "Everyone else here is a descendant of one of the original Elemental Masters, the chosen few who acted as guardians to the First Spinjitzu Master. He endowed each of them with their respective elements, and those powers have supposedly been passed down through a thousand generations or something. I never knew my parents, but I suppose one of them must have been the Master of Wind."

Lloyd nodded in agreement, so far completely following the explanation. _Okay, so the Elements are passed down through families. That makes sense, although I'm not sure how well that fits with the other ninja. Let's see, I've never met Kai's parents, but if his father was a blacksmith, then he was probably the Master of Fire. Having met Cole's father for myself, I think it's safe to say that he got his powers from his mother. Neither of Jay's parents seem like former Elemental Masters, but then again they're both pretty technical and stuff, so I guess that makes enough sense._

"But then… how did Zane get his powers?" Lloyd asked worriedly. "He was a nindroid, he didn't have any actual parents." Morro's brow furrowed with confusion; it was a question he had been hoping to avoid. _How the hell could a goddamn robot have ended up with Elemental Powers?_ he questioned, just as unsure of the answer as Lloyd was. _Did he steal them perhaps?_ Morro had seen Elemental Powers being taken forcefully before, witnessed firsthand what magic and other dark forces were capable of. His face tensed, eyes filling with regret as yet more forgotten memories began to resurface.

Quickly pushing the deep sense of loss from his mind, Morro began running through all of the possible scenarios he could think. _Okay, so magic doesn't seem that likely, how would a reclusive inventor have been able to perform such advanced spells? In theory the Golden Power can remove someone's powers, but clearly it wasn't that. It couldn't have been chronosteel… unless Zane was built with it?_

His eyes widened in surprise; it seemed to add up. Chronosteel was an incredibly durable material, and although acquiring so much of it would have been extremely difficult, it would have allowed Zane to use the Element of Ice all the way up until his recent destruction. _Obviously I can't tell Lloyd that though, so what is there to say?_

Finally breaking free from his thoughts, Morro looked up and responded to Lloyd's question. "I'm not sure, but I would guess that the former Master of Ice probably didn't have any kids. Speaking of Ice, now's a good time to explain the primary elements of Ninjago." Morro said, quickly segueing into another topic before Lloyd could question his rather vague and ambiguous answer.

"Your neurotic friends over there have three of the four primary elements, the basic building blocks of Creation." he said, gesturing towards the three other ninja as he spoke. "Obviously your robot pal isn't around anymore, for which I offer my sincerest condolences." Morro was lying through his teeth, putting on his most trustworthy and heartfelt facade. He really couldn't care less about Zane's death; in fact, Morro secretly wished that the other ninja had perished too. _That would have made things a lot easier, but hey, a single death is plenty to work with._

"Thanks." Lloyd mumbled obliviously, gazing distantly towards the ninja standing on the deck below him. They were strolling around the boat, gushing to each other about this and that. It was a strange sight to behold, to see them just joking around again. _I doubt it will last very long, but it's nice to see them actually acting like brothers again._ He smiled down with pride, but his excitement soon faded. One of the many strangers walked past the ninja, a pale man with a brown hat and sunglasses. Turning his attention back to Morro, Lloyd was focused once more on all the other elemental powers that had been hidden from him.

"So what's the deal with all these secondary elements then?" he asked, remembering the term from earlier in their conversation. "Are they just not as important or fundamental to the Realm?" A sly smirk grew across Morro's face; it was the topic he had been waiting for. "Here, take my element as an example." he said, attempting to act as self-aware and humble as possible. "In the grand scheme of things, Wind isn't all that important to Ninjago, it's literally just moving air. A lot of the secondary elements are just as pointless, like Speed or Smoke. But there are some like Gravity or Nature that seem to be objectively more important to the Realm. Time is immeasurably crucial to everything in this world, but then it's still ranked below Lightning of all things." The scathing mockery in his tone drew a hearty laugh from Lloyd, who found the pretty blatant insult to be quite funny.

"Yeah, I don't think Jay really deserves that distinction either." he said jokingly, before quickly composing himself. Lloyd still wasn't sure quite what to make of Morro, but he actually found his rather dark and sarcastic sense of humor to be somewhat refreshing. _It's hard to get a feel for him though; sometimes he seems really bitter and arrogant, but his actions clearly prove otherwise._ Morro was certainly an odd fellow, but he had chosen to save Lloyd, and that was not something he would easily forget.

"Anyway, there are a total of 15 secondary elements." Morro said nonchalantly; it was a purposefully indifferent response intended to draw out the nagging sense of worry and distress in the boy. It was certainly a shock for Lloyd to learn that so much had been hidden from him, and Morro intended to pour still more salt into that open wound. "There may actually be even more elements than that, but that's how many I've personally seen or found documentation on." he said, continuing with a somewhat more serious and grim tone. "Three of those elements are currently unused, being Water, Time, and Ice. With only thirteen secondary elements and three primary elements active, Chen ended up with his perfectly neat little bracket." There was heavy disdain present in his voice; Morro was choosing to adopt a distinctly negative view of their host to once again appear as a friend and ally to the boy.

"Yeah." Lloyd muttered distantly, his face awash with emotion. He was pretty angry with Chen, felt almost betrayed by the disqualification. It just wasn't fair for him to be barred from the competition due to the tiniest of technicalities. But there was more concern and fear consuming him at the moment. Lloyd was extremely worried about his friends, that they wouldn't be able to successfully work together as a team without him. _Or worse, that they don't actually need me._ That depressing thought sent a chill running down his spine; it was one of the most terrifying concepts he could think of.

Morro could see the conflict in the boy, and it brought a smile to his face. He was almost in awe of his own skills, in utter disbelief of just how effective his manipulation was. The Master of Wind was playing a very dangerous game, having to rely on his phenomenal acting skills far more than ever before. And it was much more than just pretending to care about Lloyd; clearly a step up from simply putting on a charming smile and a friendly face. Morro was wearing a mask, shrouding every single one of his actions behind a veil of false kindness. Even more than that, all of his words needed to be engineered on the fly; he had to slowly turn the boy against his friends with what was essentially pure improvisation. And it was working perfectly.

"You shouldn't get worked up over getting disqualified Lloyd." Morro added calmly. "I mean, what were you doing trying to fight in such a petty competition anyways?" It was an honest question, he had truly been surprised to learn that the supposedly moral and virtuous band of ninja would enter an underground fighting tournament. _There has to be some sort of ulterior motive, some other reason for their appearance,_ _because otherwise they would be selfishly leaving the Realm unprotected._

Lloyd looked up from his thoughts suddenly, slightly shaken by the rather pressing question. "Oh, uh well…" His voice trailed off, sounding extremely anxious and almost embarrassed. He was a pretty terrible liar, and Morro, being a generally perceptive and observant person, could immediately tell that he was hiding something. His face lit up with excitement; Lloyd's guilt seemed to confirm his theory. "Oh come on, what is it?" he asked gleefully, trying his best to pry the information from the somewhat awkward and insecure ninja. _Knowing these pretentious bastards it's probably some sort of noble and just task._ he thought resentfully, before an idea formed in his mind. _If that's true, then I should be able to get Lloyd to reveal it defensively if I tease him about it being something dishonest!_

Leaning over and speaking in a hushed voice, Morro whispered, "Is it something illegal? I won't tell anyone, I promise." Lloyd's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly shook his head in response. "No, nothing like that!" he professed quickly, aghast that Morro could even think that such a thing was possible. "Chen sent us a message saying that Zane was still alive, and that if we ever wanted to see him again that we had to accept his invitation. Or, at least the other ninja had to since they were actually invited." he added softly, his voice bitter and resentful.

_Huh. Now this is starting to get interesting._ Morro thought. "Zane? But I heard that the Master of Ice died fighting the Overlord." he said curiously, trying his best to sound sincere and caring.

"Well yeah, he did, at least we thought he did." Lloyd answered quickly. _Maybe if his mind remained intact he could have built himself a new body, but otherwise I just don't see how Zane could possibly still be alive._ _No one could have survived that; I'm not even sure if I could have handled the power of the Golden Armor._

"I don't know, it was probably just a lie to lure us in but we couldn't take that chance." he stated determinedly. Morro wasn't sure quite what to make of the revelation, but he was always opportunistic. _That is not good news, I mean if Lloyd is hyper-focused on finding his dead friend then he's gonna be a lot harder to turn. But, if I offer to help him with his search then maybe I can at least keep Lloyd away from the ninja._

"I take it you aren't planning on paying any ransom." he said, a devious smile snaking it way across his face. Morro was very content with the situation; he could definitely work with this. His high spirits were quickly dashed however, as he noticed a stranger rounding the corner of the second deck. Morro had been concerned about this; he couldn't afford to let anyone else find out that Lloyd was here. _Ah shit! Well, I guess I was fortunate to get this much time without being interrupted._

"No, we were thinking of-" Lloyd was cut off as a huge gust of wind hit him in the back. The blow arched against his spine, knocking the wind out of him as he was struck into the sky. But he quickly fell back down, landing awkwardly on the roof of the ship. Lloyd instinctively summoned his energy, using his Elemental Power to lessen the impact, but it didn't entirely save him from pain. His back hurt quite a bit, understandably sore after being attacked by the wind for a third time now. Otherwise he was unharmed, but Lloyd was very miffed with the Master of Wind. Rolling over onto his side, Lloyd leaned over the side of the roof. Looking down to the second deck he saw Morro casually leaning against the railing, waving slightly towards another Elemental Master that was walking past.

Morro looked up slightly, meeting Lloyd's furious eyes as he shrugged in resignation. He looked to his right, satisfied that the green haired stranger had left. After briefly glancing to his left and seeing no one, Morro flew up to meet his blond rival. Lloyd was glaring at him, his face filled with a vengeful fury. It was unnatural for him to get so mad, but getting abused by the wind had just set him off and unleashed all of his bottled up emotions.

"What?" Morro asked, legitimately surprised by just how angry the Green Ninja was. At the same time however, he found Lloyd's apparently short temper to be extremely reassuring. _I just need to show him how to harness that pain and torment._

"You know, it's probably best if you stay away from the other competitors." Morro said sheepishly. "I mean, it'll definitely be easier to find your robot friend if Chen doesn't know you're here. Or really any of the Elemental Masters for that matter, not all of them are quite as noble and just as you are." _And t_ _hat includes me, but of course you won't see that until it's too late._

"Could've given me a warning though." Lloyd mumbled under his breath. As much as he hated to admit it, Morro had a point. _Yeah, avoiding everyone else is probably a smart idea._ he conceded. _He is right, if a single other person found out that I was here it could completely compromise my mission. I can't tell anyone, not even… my friends._ Lloyd sighed quietly, finding himself extremely disheartened by the loneliness that he would have to endure for Zane's sake.

He sat up slowly, feeling a slight twinge in his back as he looked out at the vast ocean that surrounded them. The water was a very dark shade of blue, a rather melancholy and dreary color. The Green Ninja had never felt so defeated, so useless and insignificant in his entire life. He knew they hadn't meant it maliciously, but his friends had left him behind, abandoned him on that wooden pier as they ventured out in search of their fallen brother. His family was far away on some distant continent, and he had never needed his father more than right now. He deserved an explanation, wanted to hear why his Senseis had kept so much from him. But more than that, Lloyd could just use a bit of guidance; he would benefit greatly from having someone to help him work through the maze of mysteries he was bound to find when he arrived at Chen's Island. And there was no one Lloyd could turn to other than Morro, the two-faced and unreliable villain who only sought to corrupt his soul.

Lloyd was jarred from his thoughts as another gust of wind hit his aching back, knocking him once more off the side of the roof. Morro quickly ran to the edge and held him back from falling, waiting patiently for the threat to disappear. Lloyd was fuming, but he couldn't really do anything since he was being dangled over the edge of the roof; completely at the mercy of his erratic rival. Morro looked over his shoulder, and once he saw the red ninja leave, hoisted Lloyd back up onto the roof.

"Why the hell did you do that again?!" Lloyd barked, his fists clenched and shaking with rage.

"The hothead was fighting some weird metal man." he answered bluntly. Lloyd's face softened, the anger quickly fading and dissipating as he burst into a fit of laughter. _Yeah, that sounds like something Kai would do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know this was a pretty expository chapter (hence the title), but fortunately enough this is pretty much the end of my world-building exposition. From here on out you'll get some actual plot progression, which should be fairly exciting I guess.


	4. Aleatory

_The room was very plain; empty and blank with an air of solemn formality. The tan and brown color pairing created an outwardly drab appearance, but its simplicity was almost elegant in a way. This was minimalism at its finest, for needlessly dressing up the surroundings would only detract from the sincere and sobering mood. A lamp was baking the ground with a dim, somewhat faded shade of yellow; the sparse shadows leaving a distinctly ominous and foreboding atmosphere. In a cruel twist of fate, it accurately symbolized how close the outcome really was; that a few key personality differences would change the world forever._

_Looking on from the sliding door, Morro was giddy with excitement. It was the day he had dreamed of, a prestigious moment years in the making. He bowed in respect, smiling up towards his loving mentor. The pair were uncharacteristically aloof, far more distant and quiet than normal. There was nothing to say, they both knew how important this was. The golden weapons were laid out on the floor, neatly surrounding the passively silent Sensei. Wu was holding up the green gi, motioning it towards the boy that he thought would be the Chosen One._

_Morro walked forward, holding his breath as he anxiously approached the weapons. It was his greatest achievement in life, the only thing he had to be proud of. Morro was the Green Ninja, he believed it with every fiber in his being. Everything he had ever worked for led to this moment, the ultimate reward for both his impoverished childhood and years of intense training. He tentatively opened his eyes, unable to sense any sort of reaction, and his mind snapped; this marked the point of no return, for the boy's fate was sealed forever. The weapons didn't respond, and Morro's eyes began to well with tears._

" _I'll train more, learn more lessons!" he cried, desperately pleading with his somber teacher. Morro could not begin to accept it, but even after all the trauma and hardship he had managed to overcome, life still found a way to screw him. Wu looked despondent, equally saddened by the result, but he turned away. As much as it pained him to admit it, there was simply nothing that could be done._

" _I'm sorry." he remarked, his voice empty and numb. "Destiny has spoken." While it hadn't been meant in such a way, Morro was infuriated beyond belief by what he perceived as indifference and arrogance. He cared about the title so much, far more than anything else in the world, and to hear his Sensei treat it so nonchalantly enraged him. It had never been that simple or clear cut to Morro; he was in utter denial of the truth, and brutally lashed out at the man who had given him this prideful sense of hope._

" _Then I refuse to listen!" Morro screamed, his voice echoing throughout the old Monastery. He repulsed in disgust, tearing the wooden door from its panel and throwing it across the room in anger. "I am the Green Ninja! You made me believe!" He stormed off, leaving a bewildered and regretful Sensei in his wake. Wu frowned; the result was disappointing, but he was far more worried than sad. Morro had shown signs of a darker personality before, but that envious arrogance had now been escalated to an unfathomable level. He had fallen._

* * *

"Get up you pathetic waste!"

Lloyd woke with a start, the very vivid vision vanishing as a familiar foe shook him from his sleep. He found himself once again on the roof of Chen's Ferry; glancing around worriedly, he took in the sprawling sight of the large steamboat. To his right stood an impatient and ticked off looking Morro, and the image sent a chill running down his spine. The dream had painted the Elemental Master in a much darker light, and Lloyd wasn't sure what to think now. Time and time again he found aspects of the man's personality to be extremely concerning, but Lloyd could never get a feel for him. While at times he really seemed like that same arrogant and irritable boy, Morro was a far more complicated and confusing person. There was always a level of restraint, as if an equal sense of greater pain was obscured and held back behind a mask of scathing and harsh comedy. _There's something off about Morro, but I just can't put my finger on it._ Lloyd thought, for he found that all of his experiences with the man so far had been nothing more than a muddled and confusing mess.

"I don't know if you've noticed or not Lloyd, but we're here." Morro said hotly, evidently annoyed by their upcoming arrival. "I'm so sorry if I interrupted his royal savior's beauty rest." he added, speaking in a rather mocking and sing-song voice; an overly-dramatic bow throw in to top it all off.

All of Lloyd's conflicted concerns and fears were washed away by a sweeping wave of panic, as he quickly looked over in horror to see an expansive island approaching quickly. "Oh shit." he muttered under his breath, unsure of how he exactly would manage to stay out of sight. Lloyd was in uncharted waters, completely alone in an unfamiliar and hostile environment. _And of course the only person I can actually talk to gets to go and compete in this swanky fighting tournament. How the hell am I supposed to find Zane all on my own?_

"I'll be back by nightfall." Morro mentioned distantly, his tone cold and almost distracted sounding. He quickly began walking off towards the front of the ship, leaving his rival floundering with the realization. "Wait, what?" Lloyd blankly asked, slightly overwhelmed by the sudden rush of information. "What am I supposed to do until then?" Morro smirked, finding the boy's stupidity slightly humorous.

"You're a ninja aren't you?" he called back sharply. "Stay out of sight." And with that, the Master of Wind flew off to the front of the queue, cutting ahead of the majority of the other Elemental Masters that were jockeying for position.

* * *

"Ah!" Kai yelled, jumping back in surprise as Morro gracefully landed directly in front of him. He was startled by the dramatic entrance, for he had not seen the seemingly deranged man since their brief confrontation the previous night. "So, the blowhard's back for more I see?" he said confidently, already charging up his fire in preparation for the fight he so desperately wished to continue. Morro grinned maliciously, before whipping his body around to throw a massive gust of wind at the foolish hotshot. Kai's eyes widened as the impact threw him backwards, knocking him clear off the side of the ship into the cold ocean that awaited him. "Kai!"

The remaining pair of ninja quickly ran over to ship railing to see if he was alright, and they were horrified by what they saw. Morro couldn't help but laugh at his handiwork; the sight before his eyes was simply too amusing. The Master of Fire was flopping like a fish, quite literally out of his element among the freezing water. He thrashed, furiously fighting against the expansive sea, but it was to no avail. Kai's aquaphobia, a lifelong fear that he had miraculously managed to keep secret until now, was finally exposed. "You have got to be kidding me." Morro muttered under his breath. He sighed slightly before begrudgingly summoning another gust of wind to pull the drowning ninja up from his perilous position. Morro didn't like it one bit, hated saving people in fact, so he made sure to drop the imbecile as painfully as possible.

Kai landed back on the ship with an agonizing snap, feeling a sharp pain in his ribs as he quickly collided with the furnished wood paneling. He felt his breath slip away, but was forced to violently cough, spewing a vile pairing of saltwater and blood onto the neaby Elemental Masters. He looked up to see his adversary deviously smirking, clearly reveling in this vengeful conflict that consumed them both.

"What's wrong Kai? Got the wind knocked out of you?" Morro quipped, before falling prey once more to the manic laughter that had plagued him for all his life. Kai reacted instantly, moving to attack the man, but the pain overwhelmed him. _Oh god, this must be a set of broken ribs or something._ he thought, for the injury was more excruciating than anything he had ever felt before. Kai looked up in utter horror at the cruel and disturbingly twisted figure that stood before him, but his gaze fell upon the cloaked redhead he had seen before. She had an extremely disgusted look on her face, but her eyes shone a glint of worry and concern. He smiled slightly, before feeling another twinge of pain and spasming back towards the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?" the finely dressed bouncer asked, pushing past several of the fighters to see what all the commotion was. Clouse was rather taken aback by the sight, finding the Master of Fire helplessly sprawled out on the deck, completely surrounded by a murky swamp of blood and saltwater. He looked around at the other Elemental Masters, before his eyes fell on the dark haired man. Morro was grinning slightly, smirking behind crossed arms as he casually leaned against the railing of the ship. Clouse smiled slightly, somewhat pleased to see that he and this erratic stranger appear to have a common enemy. _Of course I can't say anything now, but perhaps this Master of Wind could be useful to us._

"You!" he barked, casting the accusation towards the raggedy man in green. "Did you have anything to do with this?" Morro's smile vanished, quickly replaced by a seething glare. "All I did was save that moron from drowning." he retorted, his voice a stinging but very controlled anger. "It's not my fault that he's too stupid to land on his own two feet."

Jay exploded at the blatantly inaccurate statement, bellowing with his usual high-pitched screech. "Only after you knocked him off the ship!" He started to move at the man but Cole held him back. "Save it for the tournament." he whispered. Although Jay wanted to strike his former friend so very much in that moment, he had to concede that Cole was right.

"It was an accident." Morro said blankly, lying through his teeth with a completely straight face.

"Enough of this petty squabbling." Clouse snapped sharply, silencing any further debate. "I do not care whether you decide to fight amongst yourselves, but I will remind you that you are all here to compete in a fighting tournament. Although, perhaps I can persuade Master Chen to make the next fight between the Masters of Fire and Wind." he mused, drawing a rather coy smile from the latter of the two.

"Now that's an interesting idea." Morro concurred, wanting nothing more than to personally eliminate each one of the ninja. "Uh, sorry to interrupt the party but are we actually gonna get to leave the boat?" asked the somewhat cocky man with the scarlet sunglasses. Clouse said nothing in response, simply moving forward as a tattooed servant ran up behind him carrying a wooden plank. He strolled across the newly-erected catwalk, returning to the island he had lived on for the past four decades. "Welcome to Chen's Island." he announced, speaking with a drawn out and overly grand tone.

* * *

The competitors began filing off the ship, moving up towards the large temple that stood before them. Kai was the last one off, limping along with the assistance of his friends. They hobbled up the steps, eventually catching up to the group forming outside the set of double doors. As soon as they arrived the doors were abruptly thrown open, revealing an exquisitely detailed and rather expensive-looking setup. A fancy red carpet snaked its way up to the palace entrance, displaying a collection of symmetrically intricate designs. There was a small group of people gathered on both sides of the matting, furiously beating on wooden drums. A set of silver statues sat next to the palace doors; a duo of marble snakes glaring at each other with bared teeth. The snake references were everywhere, baked into the uniforms of the workers, the carving of the wooden doors, tacked on through additional banners that whipped around in the breeze. Kai found the image before him awe-inspiring, yet equally mortifying. He could certainly appreciate the attention to detail and impressive craftsmanship of the place, but something about the overabundance of snake designs just rubbed him the wrong way.

"Why are there so many snake images?" he asked quietly, his voice strained and tense. It was barely audible due to the blood that was seeping from his mouth, but his friends picked up on the query. "I don't know, but I don't think it means anything good." Cole answered flatly, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"They're probably just crazy fanatics or something, I don't think we should really worry about it." Jay interjected, offering up his usual tactic of optimistic denial; one of his go-to maneuvers was to downplay the seriousness of any situation, and it was pretty hit or miss.

"Yeah." Kai mumbled weakly, agreeing that the abundance of weird snake art didn't necessarily mean anything. But he still couldn't shake all of his worries; it was a very potent mix of tremendous concern for Lloyd, unbridled rage towards the Master of Wind, and apprehensive fear in respect to the fighting tournament they had agreed to compete in. Kai was left with a nagging sense of dread, just a gut feeling that not everything was as it seemed.

He didn't know the half of it.

* * *

Lloyd sat still, his eyes glazed and distant; he gave off a mystified and perplexed look, as if he was lost in another world. He was rooted to the spot, stuck pondering everything that had transpired in the past day; his world had effectively been turned upside down. His brain didn't have enough time to process the tremendous wealth of new information before, but considering that he was simply waiting around for the day to be over, Lloyd figured he could play a little catch up.

He quickly rose from his spot on the roof, beginning to pace back and forth along the wooden tiles. "Okay, so the first big news was that Zane may still be alive." Lloyd said slowly, starting at what was effectively the root cause of this whole debacle. "Of course this noodle figurehead is probably lying, but then again, I suppose it's possible that Zane really is here. Alright, so that's simple enough in concept." he admitted. Unfortunately, everything else he had learned was far from simple.

"After that my friends got invited to this underground fighting tournament, and so did another 13 Elemental Masters that I never knew about." His tone was rising, for all of the anger and confusion was quickly wearing his mental defenses thin. "Why didn't either of my Senseis tell me about this? I don't know!" he answered loudly, although his voice was more akin to incredulous mocking than pure anger. "On top of that, this Morro guy shows up out of nowhere. Now, he looks and acts like a 16 year old kid, but no… he's at least over 40 or something. He claims that Elemental Masters have longer lifespans than normal humans, which is another detail that my uncle and father conveniently forgot to ever mention."

"And on that subject, let's talk about my uncle for a second, because supposedly he trained this Master of Wind before any of us. He's never mentioned any other students, but how else could he have _my_ gi?!" Lloyd was completely unaware of this fact, but his heavy emphasis on the Green Ninja being his title directly went against the relatively modest and indifferent attitude he had preached the night before. There was a darker side to him, one so well hidden that he had forgotten it even existed. There was so much potential in the boy, an untapped reservoir of anger that was just waiting to be unleashed. It was something that destiny itself had overlooked; as much as Lloyd acted like a truly virtuous and pure person, looks can be deceiving. This bitter and vengeful venting was strikingly similar to how Morro acted on a daily basis, and Lloyd would have to control his emotions if he wished to avoid falling prey to the dark force that sought to corrupt him.

"I mean, my uncle seriously thought that guy was going to be the Green Ninja?" Lloyd continued, scoffing at how ridiculous of a concept it was. "Sure, I guess, his heart us in the right place, but his actions and motives are so goddamn inconsistent! Last night I could have sworn that he wanted nothing more than to mutilate me, but then he's more open and honest than any teacher I've ever had. Morro appears to be a pretty kind and generous person, but then he's got such an edgy sense of humor."

Lloyd sighed, exasperated and exhausted by the endless sense of confusion. There were no answers for the boy, for there was no one to help explain any of his many questions. "None of this makes any damn sense." he muttered, shaking his head in frustration. Lloyd was unsure whether to be grateful or scared when he was suddenly shaken from his thoughts, interrupted by a feeling of movement beneath his feet.

The ship was departing, heading back to the main continent of Ninjago to resume the shipment of noodles that the ferry was primarily built for. "No!" he cried in a hushed whisper, unwilling to be permanently left out of the action ever again. Lloyd ran to the edge of the roof and jumped, summoning a massive boost of energy to propel himself over to the island. Morro was not there to save him this time, but it hardly mattered as he made it with ease. Lloyd rolled to a stop, skidding up the steps to the palace as his momentum refused to immediately slow.

He quickly rose from the ground, dusting himself off as he glanced around the pier. It was entirely possible that one of the crewman aboard the ship had spotted him, but fortunately for Lloyd, the area was now deserted. Seeing no one around, he walked over to the nearby forest. Once he was satisfied with how far he was from the open docks, he picked a tree to sit under. Lloyd leaned up against the tall redwood, taking in the beautiful surroundings nature provided for him. He was still worried about his friends. He was concerned for Zane. He was intrigued but equally scared by Morro. He was angry with his family. But in this moment, he was calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for this chapter I decided to include a sort of flashback dream sequence, and, while I still think that scene is written fairly well, in hindsight I really don't think it was necessary. It's a writing mechanic I use decently often in my Llorumi longfic and I initially put that project on hold when I started writing this story, so at the time I guess I was just kinda itching to try out the style again. I probably won't do it again but yeah, that's why the opening scene was like that.
> 
> Also, if any of you are wondering why I only began using Clouse's name now, it's because I try to write as much as possible in my uniquely chaotic form of third-person limited. I think I have to technically consider my writing style third person-omniscient but I prefer to think of it as a sort of rapid-fire style of third-person limited because of how frequently I switch the perspectives around. I always want everything to seem really personal to the characters, so if the ninja don't know who Clouse is, then I leave out his name. I only included it today because you got to actually see the story from Clouse's perspective, and he obviously knows what his own name is. That's also why I don't refer to Morro as Morro half the time; literally no one besides Lloyd actually knows who he is, so they either call him names or refer to him by his element. I hope that clears up any potential confusion.


	5. Melodrama

The Elemental Masters were seated in a circle, all waiting for their host to make his grand entrance. Some were calm and patient, others restless and worried. The general atmosphere of the room was not helping matters, only further exacerbating the sense of dread housed within many of the fighters. The rotunda was decagonal in shape, giving a subtle sort of jaggedness to the room. The walls were lined with even more banners, with a distinct pair of symmetrically placed purple and gold flags arranged at the head of the room.

The floor was a sort of burnt and faded orange, illuminated partially by a set of glowing yellowish lamps. A rather striking serpent design adorned the carpet, one far more fantastical than any others before it. It gave off a rather mystical vibe, almost mythical in its strange similarity with the ancient images of dragons. The ninja knew better of course, but their distant ancestors had often depicted the dragons as wingless serpents, flying snakes that brought terrible ruin and misfortune upon those who had wronged them.

It was unnerving in a way, for the pairing of dragon and snake made for an even more disturbing image. None were more concerned than the Master of Fire, who lay on the ground in constant agony due to his untreated injury. He stared out towards the wall that lay opposite to the entrance, his eyes bloodshot and worn. His pain was far from life-threatening, but Kai would definitely need to get patched up a bit before any legitimate healing could begin.

"This place is freaking me out." he muttered, his voice still strained and tiresome. "Why the hell are there so many goddamn snakes?"

"I'm starting to think this Master Chen has some hidden agenda." Cole said solemnly, frowning with contempt as he gazed around the room. It was a very disappointing thing to him to learn, as Cole was a foodie and lifelong fan of Mr. Chen's Noodle House. He didn't want to find out that his favorite noodle chain was run by an underground criminal syndicate, but then again, things never seemed to go as one would anticipate in this strange realm that they called home.

Jay scoffed at their incessant worrying, looking over at the pair of ninja. "Lighten up!" he said quickly, awkwardly leaning past the Master of Wind to speak to them. "We're in an underground fight club, this is supposed to be fun." Morro, who had purposely chosen to sit between the group, fell backwards into another fit of manic laughter.

"Fun?" he cried hysterically, his voice slightly broken up by a macabre sense of humor. "What do you think this is, an amusement park?" Morro was certainly amused, a fact that seemed to anger every single Elemental Master that turned his way. Looks ranging from mild annoyance to vengeful rage were shot in his direction, but any growing conflict was suddenly interrupted by the loud sound of a gong being struck. The fighters turned their attention to the head of the room as a scratchy gramophone began playing a triumphant ballad.

"All rise for Master Chen!"

An ornate and intricate throne began to descend down from the ceiling, sliding down via a hidden rail system tucked behind the distinct pair of decorative banners. The competitors slowly began to rise to their feet, and soon only two were left still laying on the floor. Kai, due to his injured ribs, and Morro, because he was writhing with utterly psychotic and uncontrollable laughter. The throne landed softly on the ground, quickly locking into place to reveal a smiling Chen.

"Welcome to the Tournament of Elements!" he announced, his voice echoing through the halls in a somewhat overly-dramatic fashion. "Now you can all di-" The fighters turned in surprise as the front doors slammed shut, filling them with all with an immediate sense of panicked horror. "-rect your attention to me!" Chen finished, laughing eccentricity at the dark joke.

Everyone present was put on edge, all finding the comment downright creepy, or at the very least in poor taste. The Elemental Masters stared blankly at their host, mouths agape and eyes widened with trepidation. Those same frustrated expressions, ones that had been targeted towards Morro just a moment ago, were all still in unison. Each and every person was either glaring or frowning at the man with the snake hat.

Well, everyone except for Morro, that is. His laughter had only intensified, reflecting a slow descent into madness and insanity that he hid so masterfully. Evidently unaware of the crazed lunatic at the back of the room, Chen had risen from his throne and started walking forward.

"Never before have so many Elemental Fighters been under one roof." he began proudly, his arms thrown up with excitement. "I see Master of Fire, although I'm sure he's seen better days. Oh, there's the Master of Earth, Shadow, Speed, even a prophesied Green-" Chen's voice cut off as Morro finally rose from the ground to face his host.

"You're not Lloyd." he said worriedly. Master Chen had wanted to invite the Master of Energy, but in his place stood a beggar in rags, nothing more than a disgruntled and disheveled knock-off. Of course both he and Clouse tended to always misconstrue Lloyd's Essence as Power, but Chen was very sure that he had not misidentified Lloyd. This was clearly someone entirely different, but their similarities were nonetheless striking. He almost appeared to be a shadow of the young boy, the darkness to his light.

Morro grinned wickedly, his smirk a potent mix of insidious wit and sly deceit. It had been a detail he conveniently left out when talking with the blond boy, but Morro had never been officially invited. Both he and his element had been presumed dead for decades now, which was a status he was rather fond of. Morro had simply shown up on the pier after hearing that the competition was being held, and after a rather heated debate with Chen's second in command, he had managed to secure a spot in the Tournament of Elements.

Clouse had acted alone in the matter, overridden his orders to invite the Green Ninja. It was not a decision he had made personally; it really had been because of that one simple technicality. After all, Master Chen had asked for a perfectly neat, sixteen-person bracket. Before Morro's arrival they had secured all of the Elemental Masters, and it just so happened that Lloyd was the only one of the bunch who possessed an Elemental Essence. So Clouse had snubbed the boy in favor of yet another secondary Element, and while it was a decently fair and logical choice, Master Chen didn't really see it that way.

"No, I'm not." Morro answered coldly, relishing the tremendous fear his mere presence seemed to instill in the man. He was opportunistic by nature, and was always capable of seizing any possible advantage. Morro would have fit in rather nicely with their teachings, but he had been too prideful to seek any guidance after leaving Wu behind. The world had been his to explore, and it had taken him decades to make his way back to the teacher he had ignored years prior. To win at all costs was something he believed in with all his heart, but Morro would never fall prey to the treacherous Chen. He had never needed anyone else.

"Guards!" Chen screamed, quickly sending his henchman to apprehend the uninvited guest. Morro stared down the goons with an almost bored expression, as if it was an insult to be treated with such little respect. Clearly Chen was ignorant of his powers, and he found it slightly disappointing to find that no one in the world could remember him. _That's gonna change soon._

Morro quickly and effortlessly sent the men flying backwards, using a massive gust of wind to throw them into the back wall. Murmured whispers went out around the room, as for many this was their first introduction to the Element of Wind. A few of them had witnessed the attack against Kai earlier, but this time Morro really wanted it to be seen by all; intimidation was a powerful weapon, and he thought it best to give them a tease of the devastating effects his powers possessed. Chen's face was marred with a mix of suspicion and shock, but despite all of his whirling curiosity, he was still furious that Lloyd had managed to slip through his grasp.

"Clouse!" he hissed, his voice a clearly irritated but hushed whisper. His magical ally strolled over calmly, although he did not look quite as confident as usual. "Who is this vagabond and where is the Master of Power?" Before he could answer the Master of Wind piped up, answering in a mockingly divisive tone.

"Your idiot servant there disqualified Lloyd on the basis that he has an Elemental Essence and not a primary or secondary Element." Morro said nonchalantly, drawing looks of surprise from every single competitor. He had picked up a superb understanding of their powers over the years, and in doing so had made himself the smartest one in the room. It was a shocking thing for many to learn, that this maniacal jackass was also one of the most intelligent scholars in all of Ninjago, but it was the truth. Chen was struck by even more confusion and awe, but he quickly turned his focus back to his second in command.

"We had long thought the Elemental Master of Wind to be dead, but he turned up suddenly. Allowing the Green Ninja to stick around would have offset the bracket, and I had to cut someone." Clouse replied coolly, not showing any sign of fear or worry. Chen sighed loudly, exasperated and very annoyed by the development.

"But I already printed out these little pictures!" he whined, pointing over at the golden bracket that had been hiding behind the gong. The group of fighters turned to see each of their faces neatly attached to spots on the bracket, although Lloyd had been mistakenly placed next to the Master of Form.

"Good, looks like we're each in our own bracket. We won't have to face each other for a while." Kai said happily, finding their placements to be extremely relieving. _Looks like I'm going to fight the other guy with awesome looking hair._ he thought, whipping his head around to look more closely at the Master of Smoke.

"Oh, why is Lloyd still on there?" Chen complained, frustrated by how poorly his grand entrance was playing out. "Ah, whatever. You! Deadbeat!" he called loudly, pointing in Morro's direction.

"What is it?" he asked haughtily, growing increasingly disinterested with their drawn out conversation. Chen snapped his fingers and his many servants appeared, lugging around a professional camera. "You'll now each be shown to your rooms, well, except for the reclusive nutcase because he has a photo shoot to attend to!" he said gleefully. Morro groaned, but did not protest as a servant started pushing him out the door.

"Ah, just what this place needs. Creepy clowns." Jay said resentfully, feeling quite uncomfortable as one of the white-faced women grabbed his arm.

"Oh, it's not so bad." Kai said distantly, smiling weakly as a pair of the girls helped him hobble across the floor. Cole sighed, but quickly directed his attention towards their erratic host. "What are the actual rules of your tournament?" he asked worriedly, finding the lack of information equally concerning and odd.

"All will be revealed in time." Chen answered knowingly, smiling as the Elemental Masters were all forcefully dragged from the room. Once he was satisfied that they were out of earshot, his expression turned to one of discontent and repressed anger. "Clouse, you have a lot of explaining to do." he said menacingly.

* * *

"Here is your suite Master of Wind." announced the servant who had been chauffeuring Morro around the palace. She opened the doors to reveal a bright green room, adorned with golden highlights and wooden furnishing. "I apologize for any lingering issues, we were expecting Master Lloyd instead." Morro couldn't be happier however, finding the fact that he had been given the room meant for the Green Ninja to be extremely fitting. He approved tremendously of the dragon rug, adorned with the same symbol attached to his faded gi.

"I think this will do nicely." Morro said joyfully, spotting a brand new ninja outfit sitting upon the bed. He snatched it up quickly, examining the fine craftsmanship and intricate stitching. _I'm starting to like this more and more._ Morro thought, for he was absolutely elated to find out that he would not have to wear the same worn-out uniform he had kept for all this time. His spirits were dampened slightly as he spotted an old photograph of the ninja hanging on the wall, and Morro felt an intense wave of envy as he saw the smiling Lloyd in the frame.

"Could you maybe take that picture down?" he asked sharply, and the woman quickly removed it.

"Will that be all?" she asked kindly, smiling up at the rather irritable guest.

"Yes, unless… do you think you could have this made in a darker shade of green?" Morro wondered, holding up the freshly printed gi in his hands. She nodded curtly, quickly grabbing the suit and exiting the room to start the modifications. He immediately flopped down onto the bed, hoping to catch up on a bit of rest before he would be required to sneak out and meet with Lloyd. But as Morro looked around the exquisite room, he felt truly at home for the first time in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So unfortunately this is the last chapter I have written to date. Revisiting this fanfic has been a lot of fun for me and I'm really happy that you all have enjoyed the story so far, but I haven't written anything new in nearly 5 months now. I'm not really sure why, but every time I try to make myself write the next scene I just lose interest because of how difficult and tedious it is to stick to canon. Rewriting the direct events of the show, while logically simpler from a conceptual standpoint, is way more difficult in practice than just coming up with a completely new storyline. That by itself isn't a particularly good reason for abandoning a fic but I've got two other Ninjago WIPs and as such I've just kinda put this one on the backburner for now. I suppose if enough people pester me about it then I might be more inclined to go back and actually write the next chapter, but yeah, I'm honestly not sure when or if I'll be continuing this story.
> 
> Anyway, I don't really have much to say about this chapter specifically, I mean I think it's pretty well written overall and I'm especially proud of the dialogue I wrote for Chen. It was an absolute blast to write his lines and hopefully they seemed in character for him.


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